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Please help our Bees

Thank you for contacting me about measures to protect bees and the Protection of Pollinators Bill. I read your email carefully and noted the points that you raise.

I entirely agree with you that bees and other pollinators play an essential role in our food production and are vital to the survival of our wild plant populations. There are 1,500 species of insect pollinator in the UK, and I welcome work over the last few years to protect them. These efforts have been brought together in the National Pollinator Strategy.

The Strategy lays out plans to improve our understanding of the status and role of pollinators, increase the area of habitat for pollinators, raise awareness of their importance, and safeguard be health. It also sets out new work to be done immediately, building on longer-term initiatives. These include conserving and creating good quality wild flower meadows, and minimising risks from pesticides. The Government is working with a range of public, private sector and charitable bodies to create bee and insect friendly habitats.

Since the Strategy was launched there has been encouraging progress on its aims to make farms, towns, cities and the countryside better places for our bees and pollinators. Ministers continue to work with partners such as Friends of the Earth, British Beekeepers' Association and Kew to deliver it.

Ministers have also introduced the first ever wild pollinator and farm wildlife package, which makes more funding made available to farmers and landowners who take steps to protect pollinators. In its first year of its operation over half of the mid-tier applications to the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, which channels these payments, included this package so I am confident it will make a real difference.

There is of course always more to be done in this area, and so I will monitor closely the passage of the Bill through the house with interest.

Once again thank you for taking the time to bring your views to my attention.